Creation Date

1931 – 1955

Description

"This ash tray is made in variegated shades of gray and black. The molded head of an Indian woman with long braids on either side of her face over looks the tray to hold ashes. Two depressions on the tray are intended for cigarettes, and a round hole behind the Indian's head accommodates cigarette. This ash tray was made by Maude Welch, a North Carolina Cherokee."

2007 - It may have been an ashtray for cigars based on the size of the rests and the hole in the back.

Welch was born in 1894 near Cooper's Creek in the Bird Town section of the Cherokee Reservation, also known as Qualla Boundary. Welch's pottery was handbuilt and carved from local clay, dried without a kiln, dropped in a firebox for color, and polished by hand.